The present invention relates to a ski boot.
A ski boot is a specialized form of footwear that is used in skiing to provide a way of attaching the skier's feet to his/her skis via ski bindings. The ski boot should position the skier's body over the ski properly. Some skiers have to stop skiing as a result of knee, hip or ankle problems because they are not able to adjust the position of the ski relative to the boot to suit their body's natural geometry. No individual's feet are exactly the same. It is found that there is a considerable difference in the feeling, balance, natural alignment and performance of a skier when the alignment of his/her boots are adjusted properly for his/her body's geometry.
Outsoles are known, such as Vibram® outsoles produced by Vibram S.p.A., that are attachable to the sole of a ski boot to adapt the boot for use with a particular binding in a particular type of skiing and to improve the performance of the boot in particular external conditions, for example to provide a greater degree of grip. However, the position of the outsoles cannot be readily adjusted relative to their fasteners once attached to adapt the ski boot to the skier's body as it relates to the ski without their being completely refitted to the sole.
In addition to the foregoing, one of the problems with existing ski boots is their limited adaptability to use in various types of skiing, e.g., downhill, cross-country, ski-jumping, Telemark, etc. In some of these types of skiing, the binding attaches to the ski boot at both the toe and the heel of the boot but in other types, the binding only attaches to the boot at the toe of the boot.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a ski boot that overcomes the aforementioned problems by allowing adjustment of the alignment of a boot relative to a ski to which it is to be attached and by permitting the boot to be adapted for use with different types of ski bindings. It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a ski boot that can be adapted for use with different types of ski bindings.